Elastic-fluid turbine.



C. G. CURTIS..

ELSTIC FLUID TURBINE.

nruoumr Hmm xov.1, 1901.

Patanted July 13, 1909.v 'K

'UNITED STATES PATENT ornion.

CHARLES G. CURTIS, OF XIEWYYORK, Y., ASSIGNOR. BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO GEN ERAL QQ'MPNL A- COR BORATIOX O1" NEW YQRK. l i

"Patented .nay 13, 1909.

Application led November 1, 1907. Serial No. 400,232.

Tov all. whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, CiianLics G. Cuii'ris, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough ofldanliattan, city, cou* and State of New. vYork, have inventel an Im roveinent iii' Elastic-Fluid 'l`iubir- ;s, of which the following is a specification.

They object I have in view is the produc tioxi of an elastic fluid turbine which will have advantages iii economy and cheapness over those." heretofore suggested. These obiects are attained by the mechanism illustrated n the accompanving drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a longitudinal` section of a portion ofl a turbine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 isa detailed loncitudinal section showingA the cilect-of wear between the stationary and moving parts. Fig. 3 is a cross sect-ion of the entire machine taken on the line 3 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the ai'- i'ow. Fig. 4 is a. detailed longitudinal. section of a modiiication: and Fig. 5 is a further modification.

.In all of the views .like parts are designated by the saine reference characters. i

.My-invention has particular application to horizontal steam turbines for marine use, but the invention maybe utilized in turbines in which the Yturninpr axsis'not horizontal and for purposes other than marine, and fortlie utilization oi elastic fluids other than steam. v

The -invention is shown as applied to a turbine of the axial low ty pe, but it is not so limited as certain features of construction may be utilized in connection with a turbine i .of diilerent type.

In carrying out my invention I provide a drum 1, up'o'n which lare carried the rows of `moving buckets 2. The drun. is' mounted upon the shaft 3, whichrotates in support ing bearings (not shown). f. Tli'c drum is iiicascd -witliin a shell 4, having ends 5, one .being shown.' The drum is of suiiicient size to de fine, Itogether with.,y the shell, an annular s ace, a'poition ofwhich is the steam passage t iiough the turbine. This space is onlyY enough deeper than the length of .he buckets and tl'i'ey depth of their bases and covers to provide a space'in i hich the buckets willlie, giving large clearance so that there will be --'n0 danger of the fixed'bucliets strikingr the drum and the. moving buckets srrikiirjl :he

shell., The intermediate or uned buckets 6 are secured to the shell and lie in proper po-A t-he structure illustrated made in the manner usual to' theCui-tis turbine with bases and covers; dii'l'erent design of buckets would require a diilcrencc in the depth of the annular space.. The clearance between the bucket cover and the relativel) movingY surface in juxtaposition thereto can be lai'gc,'as there is no material pressure dil'- fei'cnce. between the discharge end ot' the nozzle and the exhaust side of the bucket wheel in a stage. This large clearance eliminates the danger ofcontact between the mov- .ing and fixed parts and makes a cheap c oitstruction. The steam passage will be ol less radial depth than the annular space, the portion' of the space iiot` occupied b v tlu steam passage being occupied by 'the bucket basesc ovei's and clearances. The nozzle 7 lfluid against the irst row'of moving buckets; and the fluid is-transinitted alternately Jroin moving'V to fixed buckets until it is discharged from the last row ofbuckets'in the machine.'

pressure dillereiice.' y such ,means is a. diaphragm; a-nuinber o( sible. with the latter.. f i f F or the purpose of taking full'advantage of the invention the druin is not reduced in the contrary, keeps its full size'throughout its length', diminishing only to accommodate buckets of greater depth. The dial)liragnns are -provided with .nozzles J -for eflectin;lr conversion of a portion of the presl oi the machine, or thev may extend only part. way around. or they may be inter sition between' the moving:- buckets 2, In

the buckets are' in the'end 5 of the 'casing directs the elastic The steam passage-is divided by suitable' means into stages, between which there is 'a'` One.. einbodnnenl 'ol these diaphragnis S are. illustrated and he'y. 4 llach luis diameter adjacent to a diaphragm, but'on sure of the fluid in the preceding' coinpart 2 I seanceL rupted at intervals and extend non-continuously around the periphery. The diaphra ms 8, as shown, are only as'deep, (i. e., the distance from the outer edges to the c'enter o ning), as the annular space is wide, and o not extend down to the shaft.

area of surface subjected to a difference of pressure is therefore made very small. The

' diaphragm can be reached for inspection or 're air much easier than any structures in w ich the diaphragm opening is smaller.

Eor the purpose of preventing leakage be tween the diaphragm :..nd drum at the point lwhere .thelatter passes through the former, .the opening in the diaphragm should be as small as possible without having the parts come into actuaLcOntact. In order to per mit this to be done without danger should the parts unintentionally come in contact, I prefer to make one or the other of the parts with annular ribs or rings 10, which in the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 2 are formed upon the diaphragm, although tliisisnotnecessary as they may be otherwise formed. These ribs are shown as comparatively deep and narrow. When the parts come in contact, as .they may in use through many causes, such as unequal expansion of the drum and shell, the wear. or settling of tlte bearin or other reasons, the faces othe annular ribs will come in contact with the other" relatively. moving body. The edges of the ribs will be spun or forced over, as shoini in Fig. 2, the spaces between the ribs being suiiiciently large to accommodate an material thus forced over the edges of the ri s. These ribs should be, therefore, narrow enough and deep enough to permit their shapes to change by wear without destroying their continuity. il' ere these rings not present the contact of the drum and diaphragm would result in a,

sawing or grinding action resulting in they tearin vaway of the diaphragm or drum so that t Ve necessary close joint between the dia hragm and drum would cease to exist,

an the leakage losses would become highV and other objections might result. The annular ribs also serve an additional purpose of producing baffling grooves making a labrinthine passageway at the joint between t edrum and dia hragm, so that leakage is also reduced-at this point for this reason. In the modification shown in F'g. 4, th annular ribs are carried by the drum and not bsthe diaphragm. In this modification the ri are shown as formed separate frol the The i others replaced if necessary.

Another embodiment of the means for dividing the fluid passage into stages of different pressures is shown in Fig. 5. In lieu of the diaphrams 8 is a row of buckets 1 1, such buckets eing carried b one of the relatively rotating elements o .the turbine,l and extending with small clearance to the other element. `In the embodiment illustrated the row of buckets is carried by the the drum. The surfaces in juxtaposition those already described, or the bucket covers may be iiat as shown,`and will lie :is close to the other relatively rotatin element as is convenient. The top and hottom walls ofA ize for this purpose. The'other fixed and moving buckets will lie with large clearances in relation .to the drum and she l.

patent statutes, I have described the principle of my invention, together with the apparatus which I -now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof, but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is merely illustrative and that the invention can be carried out in other ways.

Having now described my invent ioii,wliat` I claim as new and desire to secureby Letteis Patent, is:

1. A turbine having a shell and a drum,

tween the shell and drum, rows of iixed and movin 'buckets within the passage, with large c earances between the relatively moving surfaces, and means dividing the passage into stages of different pressures, such means having small clearances, there being one row at least of iixed and a plurality of rows of moving buckets within each stage.

2. A turbine having a shell and a drum, there being a passage for working fluid between the shell and drum, rows oiDi'Lxed and large clearaiii'es between tlie relatively iiiov.- ing surfaces and a dia ihravm dividing the passage into stages o di ei'ent pressures,

plurality of rows of moving buckets in each stage, the said dia hragm having a central opening in which t e drum rotates.

3. A turbine having a shell and a drum, there being a assage` for workinglluid between the shelland drum, rows o fixed and movin buckets within the passage, with large c earances between the relatively moving surfaces, and a diaphiagin dividing the passage into stages o different pressures,

drum so that they may be removed and may be provided with annular ribs similar to the bucket will diverge so that a'pressure dro will be produced, or other means lutilshell, but it'may equally well be carried .by

In accordance with the provisions'of the there being a passage for working iiuid be inov'ng buckets witl'n the passage, with there being one row 'at least of iixedand a iso f i diaphragm,dividing the opening in which the drum rotates, and

means at the joint for preventing leakage of iiuid.

4. A turbine having a shell and a drum, there being a assagc for wor-kimY uid between the shel and druni,-row s ofixed and moving buckets within the passage, and a diaphragm dividing. the passage into stages of ditl'erent pressures, tue saiddiaphragmhaving a central opening in which the drum rotates, and means atthe joint for preventing injury of the parts when contact occurs.

5. A turbine having a shell and a drum, there being a passage for working fiuidy between the shell and druin, i'ows oiiixed and moving buckets within the passage, and a diaphragm dividing the assage into stages of different pressures, tie said diaphragm having a central opening in which the drum rotates, means at the joint for preventing ieaka e of fluid and moans at the oint for 7 preventing injuryof theparts when contact occurs,

6. A turbine having a shell and a drinn, there being a tween the sliel and drum, rows of fixed'and moving bucketsw'i'thin the passage, and a diaphragm dividing the assage into stages of different pressures, t e said diaphragm having a central opening in` w iich the dium rotates, the opposing surfaces at the joint be- I ing arranged to permit lateral displacement 'of material when .contact between the parts occurs.

7. A turbine .having a shell and a drum,

therebcing a passage for working iuidbc-' tween the shell and druni-, rows of 'fixed and moving buckets within the passage, and a :issage into-stages of different pressures,'t ie 'said diaphragm assage for working Huid behaving a central' opening in which the drum rotates, an opposingsurface having annular ribs, of sufiicient depth and mutual separation to permit spinning when the part-s are brought into contact.

8. A turbine having c shell anda drum,

there being a assage for workin@r fluid between the shel and drum, rows oiiixed and movingbuckcts within the passage, and a. dia hragni dividing the assage into stages of, itierent pressures, tiie said diaphragm having a central opening in which the drum rotates, one of the opposing surfaces having,

.annular libs and the other being unribbed,

the ribs being of sufiicicnt depth and mutual separation. to per it spinning when the parts are brought into contact.

9. A turbine having a shell and a drum, there being. a assage for working fluid between the shel :ind drum, rows of fixed and moving buckets within the passage, and a diaphragm dividing the passage into stages of different pressures, the said diaphragm having a central opening in which the drum rotates, the surface of the diaphragm havin annular ribs of sufficient depth and mutua separation to permit spinning when brought into contact with the drum, and the opposing face of the drum being unribbed. I0. A drum turbine divided into stages,

i with means for securing fractional abstrac' tion, there beiner small clearances at points where pressure drop occurs, and large clearances within the stages.

,This specification signed this '26th day of October, 1907. CHARLES G. IUR'IIS. Witnesses:

LEONARD H. DYER .Jonv L. Loisoii.

and witnessed 

